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Thursday, February 16, 2006

The business of storytelling

Storytelling is a big story throughout the Internet. It's particularly interesting how business and marketing have taken it on board. See, for instance, this posting excerpt:

"Don't sell me a product, tell me a story!" from The Intuitive Life Business BlogMarketing through telling stories doesn't stop there, itinfuses all that you do to market yourself and your business.Consider two of my favorite business authors, Tom Peters and JimCollins. One of them is focused on participating in the business ofbusiness, of sharing his evolving story and his view of whichbusinesses are and aren't successful, while the other is locked away inhis ivory tower, selling products and doing research that he'll sharewhen his next book is published. Which is which? You tell me: visit Tom Peters' Web site and Jim Collins' Web site for yourself. The difference is glaringly obvious.Yes, the power of blogs is in the collaborative story.

Malcolm Gladwell was our favorite last year. He was selling his book, but he didn't talk much about his book.

A case of showing what a good storyteller he was, rather than telling people he was. Of course, Gladwell has been a favorite of mine for years -- from the days when he was just in The New Yorker and I would rip his articles out to save.